Old Waco houses on moving ground

East Waco, North Waco, Sanger Heights, and the streets around Baylor hold a deep stock of early- and mid-20th-century frame houses, many on pier-and-beam with original wiring, plumbing, and cast iron drains, and many held by one family for decades.

McLennan County lies in the Texas Blackland Prairie, on Houston Black-type clays rated high for shrink-swell. On pier-and-beam that means sloping floors and shifted or rotted piers; on a slab, cracks, sticking doors, and broken plumbing under the foundation. Both are routine reasons a buyer's inspection kills a financed sale.

Rentals near Baylor and landlords ready to stop

The neighborhoods around Baylor University carry a dense mix of single-family rentals and duplexes that turn over with the school year. Wear is heavy and repairs get pushed to summer, then pushed again. Across the county, from Bellmead to McGregor, many rentals are held by owners who bought years ago and now live elsewhere.

We buy rentals with tenants in place, mid-lease, or empty after move-out. The lease and security deposit transfer to us at closing.

Substandard findings and the Brazos floodplain

The City of Waco can tag a deteriorated house as substandard and send it to the Building Standards Commission. Owners and lienholders get certified notice of the hearing, and an owner who misses an ordered deadline can be assessed civil penalties of up to $1,000 per day per violation, or $10 per day on a lawful homestead. If ordered demolition is not done, the city can demolish and assess the cost against the property. We buy houses with open substandard findings and take on the repair or demolition ourselves.

A 2021 study presented to the Waco City Council found that updated Army Corps of Engineers hydrology raises the Brazos River's 100-year floodplain through Waco by roughly three feet. As maps are updated, houses near the river can land in a more restrictive flood zone, which affects insurance and financing. We buy in or out of the floodplain.

McLennan County property we buy

  • Older frame houses in East Waco, North Waco, and Sanger Heights
  • Pier-and-beam homes with sloping floors, failed piers, or old leveling work
  • Slab houses with foundation movement or slab leaks
  • Student rentals and duplexes near Baylor, occupied or vacant
  • Houses with a City of Waco substandard finding or commission order
  • Properties near the Brazos or Bosque rivers with flood zone problems
  • Inherited houses long held by one family, in Waco or the small towns
  • Roofs and exteriors with unrepaired hail or wind damage

Courts, records, and closing in McLennan County

Waco is the county seat. The McLennan Central Appraisal District sets values and handles exemptions and protests, and the McLennan County Tax Office bills and collects property taxes. Deeds, deeds of trust, liens, and affidavits of heirship are recorded with the McLennan County Clerk, which also serves as clerk for probate cases.

McLennan County has no statutory probate court; estates are heard in the county courts at law. A title company closes the sale. Texas has no transfer tax, so a seller's costs are mainly the owner's title policy, payoffs, prorated taxes, and any recorded city liens or penalties.

Frequently asked questions

Do you buy old Waco houses that have never been updated?

Yes. Original wiring, cast iron drains, worn pier-and-beam foundations, and dated kitchens are what we expect in that housing stock.

Can you buy a house with a City of Waco substandard finding?

Yes. Send the case information and any Building Standards Commission order. Recorded city liens are paid from the proceeds.

Do you buy student rentals near Baylor?

Yes, houses and duplexes, with tenants in place or empty between leases.

Will the Brazos River flood study affect my sale?

It can affect a financed buyer's insurance and loan if the property moves into a higher-risk zone. It does not change our ability to buy.

My parent's Waco house was never put through probate. Can you still buy it?

Often yes, but title has to be cleared first through probate, a muniment of title, or an affidavit of heirship the title company accepts. Start that early.

McLennan County property and court resources

Sources